The Takeaway: Would Hamas complicate US plans for reset with Palestinians? Also: the back story on the spat between Israel and Jordan; Gulf post-COVID economic trends; Turkey’s Kurds; Egypt and Somalia; and more! Originals
Egypt sentences activist Sanaa Seif to 18 months in prison Seif, who had been in pretrial detention since June, was convicted Wednesday of spreading false news and misusing social media. Egypt
Ukraine rejects Iran's final report on downed passenger plane The Iranian government said last year's shooting down of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was the result of a human error. Iran
Palestinians receive first batch of vaccines through COVAX More than 60,000 doses of the AstraZeneca and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines arrived in Ramallah on Wednesday. Palestine
US Jews losing faith in Israel Many American Jews feel that the Netanyahu government favors Orthodox Jews over those belonging to progressive Judaism streams and, as a result, are questioning their ties to Israel. Israel
'Rape of Proserpina' stirs hornet’s nest in Egypt The image of an Italian baroque statue posted to social media has rekindled the debate in Egypt on whether Islam allows naked figures. Egypt
Syrian opposition can win, as long as it agrees to lose The Syrian regime appears to hold the trump cards in negotiations this week with the opposition delegation in Geneva. Syria
Congress pushes Tunisia aid compact to counter Trump cuts The fledgling North African democracy is dispatching dignitaries to argue for a multi-year memorandum of understanding to help combat terrorism and social unrest. Tunisia
Turkey, Russia exchange Chechen prisoners for Tatars It has emerged that two Russian agents jailed in Turkey in connection with the deaths of Chechen dissidents were extradited to Russia as part of a prisoner swap enabled by Turkey's legal state of emergency. Turkey
Iran’s president: both diplomacy, military power needed in face of threats Iran’s president said his country doesn’t seek confrontation with Saudi Arabia. United States
Saudi reforms put spotlight on Iran's women's movement Absent political will to engage in genuine reform, Iranian women face a long road ahead in achieving their rights. Saudi Arabia
Will Israel launch pre-emptive strike against Assad? Israeli experts claim that the Israel Defense Forces should have struck the Bashar al-Assad regime at the beginning of the war in Syria. Israel
Palestinian youth on the way to political empowerment The Palestinian Youth Advocacy Network and the House of Wisdom Institute organized a conference to prepare youth to become involved in the Palestinian political landscape. Palestine
Gaza's dismal tourist sector sees hope in reconciliation Tourism officials in Palestine's national consensus government are planning to revive the Gaza Strip's ailing tourist sector — once they have permission to start work. Palestine
Private military companies: Moscow’s other army in Syria To compensate for troop reductions in Syria, Russia is deploying an array of corporate-organized mercenaries. Syria
For Netanyahu, all 'business as usual' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defused this week two coalition crises, thus guaranteeing once again the stability of his government. Israel
